Elmont educators call it "moving the rock slowly."

But in truth, it's more like moving a mountain.

On paper, this large urban-suburban school on the border of Queens and Nassau County faces a most challenging student population: high mobility, high diversity and low-income. About three-quarters of the students at Elmont Junior/Senior High are African- American, including a sizable number of recent immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa; 12 percent are Latino; 11 percent are Asian. One of four students lives in poverty. They speak more than 70 different languages. Onethird of the students are new every year. Nevertheless, this grade 7-12 school in the Sewanhaka district has been hailed by The Education Trust and the U.S. Department of Education as a place that is challenging stereotypes and closing the achievement gap.

Ninety-seven percent of its graduates go on to college, mostly four-year colleges. It holds on to its students in much higher proportions than schools with similar demographics: its senior class is 83 percent the size of its freshman class. Virtually all seniors graduate, with 91 percent earning Regents diplomas. The College Board recently cited Elmont for having the nation's highest number of African- American students to receive college credit on the Advanced Placement World History exams in 2004 and 2005.

The Elmont Elementary District's six schools have also been honored repeatedly: four have been designated by the State Education Department as high-performing, gap-closing schools; two received honor roll status from the Business Council of New York State. Elmont's Gotham Avenue School is one of 10 schools highlighted in the Just for Kids New York research project, a joint venture by SUNY Albany, the Business Council and State Ed to study the best practices of high-performing schools.

Pictured: Clara Carlson Elementary's team of teachers pose in front of the Elmont school.

Dispelling the myth

"What makes these schools special is that they are dispelling the myth that some children can't or won't achieve," said Maria Neira, vice president of NYSUT. "They are succeeding with students who are usually on the wrong end of the achievement gap - students living in poverty and students of color." The statewide union has taken a leadership role in keeping the focus on the achievement gap among decision-makers in Albany and in school districts around the state.

"Elmont's a place where educators have refused to give up on their kids and found real strategies that work for all students," said NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi. "There are no gimmicks. What it takes is a solid group of dedicated educators who relentlessly pursue better instruction with a team approach that puts students first."

It takes changes in attitude and educational philosophy. "It really requires systemic change about the way school is run, where administration and teachers collaborate to create a culture of high expectations," said Sewanhaka Federation of Teachers President Etta Schneiderman.

Schneiderman and her counterpart at the elementary level, Elmont Elementary TA President Elaine Mitchell, both credit the administration for strong leadership and "heart," not top-down management style. "Because a child is poor doesn't mean he can't learn," Elmont Superintendent Al Harper said in the Education Trust report. "If there are gaps, we as a school community must fill those gaps."

Elmont High Principal John Capozzi is a former football coach who uses his team-building skills to win buy-in from staff, students and parents. That spirit is on display every January when all the Elmont schools hold pep rallies to encourage students on the English language arts exam, complete with school songs and cheerleaders.

"We pull out all the stops - get special pencils printed up and do anything we can to help the kids," said Elmont ELA teacher Jennifer Gordon-Tennant. "Somebody heard gum-chewing helps during the test, so you'll see teachers giving out all sorts of gum, lollipops and gummies."

But Elmont's academic success is built on much more than pep rallies and chewing gum. Educators pinpointed several crucial ingredients.

A curriculum road map

"Everything we do is research-based and data-driven," Mitchell said. "Teachers are involved every step of the way."

Several years ago, the district created a curriculum map/pacing guide for each grade that shows teachers precisely what skills students should be working on in every subject at any given time of the year. "They don't tell you how to teach, but what needs to be covered," Mitchell said. "When I switched grade levels, it was very helpful - an amazing curriculum map." Every year the map is updated by teachers over the summer. "It's an ever-evolving document," she said.

They use teacher experience, as well as test item analysis, to determine trouble areas for students. For example, teachers found students were having trouble with test questions that had a double negative, so that became part of the next school year's test prep. Purposeful professional development

New teachers get a district-assigned mentor to help them enter the profession. The union worked with Nassau TRACT Teacher Center to develop a high-quality mentor program, including a 10-12 hour course for the mentor and a 15-hour course for the new teacher. Mentors are paid by the district and have the same free period to meet regularly with new teachers. Elmont Elementary TA also assigns "buddies."

New teachers are put through an intense system of observation. The contract allows for up to six unannounced observations, plus postobservation conferences with department chairs or an administrator. "Obviously, some people get nervous and yes, it's tough," Schneiderman said. "But they're not out to get you. The process is to help you become a better teacher." Even tenured teachers are observed twice a year. "It's not punitive. It's an ongoing process that keeps you learning," said Gordon-Tennant. The second observation is by a peer, which she has often found inspiring.

"I visited an ESL teacher who was playing a wonderful game of Scrabble. The kids were so enthusiastic - making words, using them in sentences, and I said, 'Wow. This might work with some of my kids.'"

Other in-service opportunities abound, from one-day trainings on using new math program software to a six-Saturday in-service for eighthgrade teachers to learn techniques to ease their students' transition to high school.

Extra help

Students have ample opportunities to get extra help. Both the elementary and secondary levels offer before- and after-school tutorials, extensive summer programs and Saturday academies. "Saturdays look like a regular school day in Elmont," said Principal Capozzi, as he shared the school's strategies at a "Closing the Gap" conference sponsored by the Education Trust earlier this month.

This summer, more than 600 elementary students participated in academic and enrichment programs. "Research shows that students regress academically over the summer," said Dennis Cowan, an Elmont Elementary TA member who heads the summer program at Gotham. "This program builds on their current skills so that students get off to a good start in September."

In collaboration with Adelphi and Hofstra universities, Elmont's Saturday academies help students strengthen their skills in listening, writing and mathematics. The academy also offers a World Languages Program (Latin, Italian, Spanish and French) as well as English as a Second Language classes for students and parents.

Outreach to parents is vital, with many teachers making daily phone calls home and holding evening parent-teacher conferences. "It's a myth that these working-class parents don't care," said Gordon-Tennant. "Many of these parents are working two or three jobs just to eke out a middle- class existence. These parents are behind you 100 percent and the kids know that."

Middle-level teaming and looping

Capozzi and union leaders highlighted seventh- and eighth-grade teaming and looping as critical ways to get students through those sometimes troubling middle years. Students are grouped into 100-member teams named after local college mascots. (Capozzi said this helps students get thinking about college and culminates with a visit to the college at the end of the year.) The students "loop" from seventh to eighth grade with the same four core academic teachers and guidance counselor - which helps students and teachers develop strong personal and academic bonds. The looping ensures that no time is lost from teachers and students having to acclimate to one another. It also allows for vertical instruction, a spiraling of key skills. The middle-level schedule is built around opportunities for the team to meet together every day to discuss individual student progress.

The 'hidden curriculum'

Elmont promotes participation in clubs and sports as a way to connect students with adults and the school. "Research shows that students who are involved in extracurricular activities tend to do better in school," Capozzi said, calling it a "hidden curriculum."

"You've got to do everything to help every single student," Capozzi said. To illustrate this spirit, he told how one student several years ago almost had to give up football because he needed to watch his younger sister during the afternoon. "All we did was let him leave and get his sister, who sat and did her homework in the end zone," Capozzi said. "After a while, we had a day care in the end zone," because other players had the same issue. High school volunteer tutors worked with younger children. "That's the spirit of Elmont," Schneiderman said. "Educators tackle challenges one at a time, one child at a time."

- Sylvia Saunders